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OUR NAVAL GUNNERS BEAT THE WORLDUNCLE SAM'S NAVAL MARKSMEN HAVE BEEN MAKING REMARKABLE SCORES, FIRING ON WAVES WHILE BEING TOWED AT DISTANCECOXSWAIN J. R. EDWARDS, OF THE BATTLESHIP SOUTH CAROLINA (BB-26). He made sixteen bull's-eyes out of sixteen shots in about four minutes. Photograph taken on the battleship, standing outside of turret, beside his guns.

After conducting trials off the Virginia Capes and off Provincetown, Mass., the South Carolina (BB-26) visited New York City on 17 and 18 June on the occasion of a reception for former President Theodore Roosevelt. It is possible that she appears here during that visit.

Text courtesy of DANFS.Library of Congress photo # LC-B2-2332-7, Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, from the George Grantham Bain Collection courtesy of flickr.com.

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South Carolina (BB-26), possibly at Newport News, VA., shortly after commissioning. Probably when she sailed for repairs at Norfolk, naval militia training duty, and Atlantic Fleet maneuvers off Provincetown and the Virginia Capes, from the end of June until the beginning of November, 1910.

Tender Severn, Snapper (SS-16), Tarpon (SS-14), Bonita (SS-15), Salmon (SS-19), Stingray (SS-13) in Dry Dock # 2, Navy Yard Norfolk VA., February 24, 1911. Time to prepare dock 8 hours: Dock commenced to flood 8:30 AM. Yard workmen taking off manhole plate 12:30 PM. Between 1 November 1910 and 12 January 1911, South Carolina (BB-26) voyaged to Europe and back with the 2d Battleship Division. This visit took her to Cherbourg, France, and Portland, England. Upon her return to Norfolk, she entered the navy yard for repairs, and then conducted tactics training and maneuvers off the New England coast. The South Carolina is the battleship in the background.

Partial text courtesy of DANFS.US National Archives photo from National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.

US National Archives photo from National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.

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CZAR WILL VISIT AMERICAN BATTLESHIPSThe American battleship fleet under command of Rear-Admiral C. J. Badger arrived at Cronstadt, and remained several days. Emperor Nicholas did the United States the unusual honor of visiting the vessels, and also received Admiral Badger and the fleet officers in the palace in this city. The fleet comprises the battleships Louisiana (BB-19), South Carolina (BB-26), Kansas (BB-21) and New Hampshire (BB-25).

Image and text provided by University of California, Riverside.Photo by The San Francisco Call. (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 09 April 1911, Image 17, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.

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In New York Harbor, 3 October 1911. Photographed by the New York Navy Yard.

USNHC # NH 44250.

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Off New York City, probably in early October 1911.

USNHC # NH 73256

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What Navy Offers to Young Men - Secretary Meyer Tells How It Has Been Americanized and Discusses Its Efficiency.NAVAL RESERVISTS ON THE SOUTH CAROLINA (BB-26)

HOW AMERICA'S GUNNERS HOLD THE SUPREMACY OF THE SEATHE EYES OF THE GUNS
Above is the Ordinance Officer who sits in the Foretop and Directs by Telephone the Marksmanship of the Gunners Below.At the Bottom of the page is the Crew of a Seven inch Gun on the Utah (BB-31)Lowering a Pontoon Raft with Contact Mines from Battleship South Carolina (BB-26) to the Ship's CutterPlacing the Mines from the Bow to the Cutter

Picture of tests of Spencer Miller's coaling-at-sea rig were conducted in 1913 between the collier Cyclops (AC-4) and the battleship South Carolina (BB-26). The battleship was equipped with a sliding padeye attached to a vertical spar mounted on South Carolina's fore deck that was used to raise and lower the high line along with the load.

FLEET'S COMMANDER, AND BATTLESHIPBattleship South Carolina (BB-26), Which was Intercepted by Wireless While on Way From Santo Domingo to New York and Ordered to Join the Fleet at Vera Cruz. Insert is a Picture of Rear Admiral Charles J. Badger.

Image and text provided by Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Photo from The Washington Times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 22 April 1914, LAST AND HOME EDITION, Image 2, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.

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TREMENDOUS POWER OF FLEET NOW OFF MEXICOSevere Trial of Big Guns Before They Are Mounted. Impenetrable Crust of Steel Blocks Mexican Ports. SOUTH CAROLINA (BB-26) FIRING A BROADSIDE.

U.S. Atlantic Fleet battleships steaming toward Mexican waters in 1914. Photograph copyrighted in 1914 by E. Muller, Jr., and Pach.OUR POWERFUL NORTH ATLANTIC FLEETThis is to considered be the most powerful battle fleet in the world. Recently it returned from the Mediterranean and left Hampton Roads for the south. During the last battle practice each of the vessels made a record for herself while the flagship Wyoming (BB-32) broke the world's record at target practice. The photograph shows the nine ships in the order in which they usually sail. The Wyoming is in the lead at the right, and is followed by the Florida (BB-30), Utah (BB-31), Delaware (BB-28), North Dakota (BB-29), South Carolina (BB-26), Rhode Island (BB-17), Georgia (BB-15),and New Jersey (BB-16).
The following battleships that were dispatched to Mexican waters included the:Ohio (BB-12),
Virginia (BB-13),
Nebraska (BB-14),
Connecticut (BB-18),
Louisiana (BB-19),
Vermont (BB-20),
Kansas (BB-21),
Minnesota (BB-22),
Mississippi (BB-23),
Idaho (BB-24),
New Hampshire (BB-25),
Michigan (BB-27),
Arkansas (BB-33),
New York (BB-34) &
Texas (BB-35).
In insets are (left to right):
Rear Admiral Henry T. Mayo,
Rear Admiral Frank F. Fletcher,
Rear Admiral Charles J. Badger.

Experimental coaling at sea while under way in April 1914. Rigging between the two ships was used to transfer two 800-pound bags of coal at a time. The bags were landed on a platform in front of the battleship's forward 12-inch gun turret, and then carried to the bunkers. Original photo is printed on a postal card, inscribed on the reverse: "This is a picture of us coaling at sea last April. I have put a cross over where I stood. I unhooked bags of coal when they came over. It is raining when this picture was taken. We were out of sight of land off coast of Virginia. "The donor, a seaman in South Carolina (BB-26) at the time, comments: "it showed that this was possible but a very slow method of refueling. Nothing was heard of the test afterwords."

USNHC # NH 76012.

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South Carolina (BB-26) steaming under forced draft, bound for Vera Cruz, Mexico, in Mid-April 1914. View looks aft and up, with the battleship's "cage" foremast and the top of her starboard boat crane dominating the image. Note searchlights and signal hoists.

USNHC # NH 76015.

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U.S. Navy Landing Party. Photographed on board ship, probably at the time of the Vera Cruz incident, circa April 1914. These sailors are wearing Marine Corps flannel shirts and khaki trousers, with dyed "white hats". They are posing with M1903 "Springfield" rifles and at least one man is wearing an ammunition belt. The ship may be South Carolina (BB-26).

Taken from the U.S. battleship Michigan (BB-27), the target, anchored in Chesapeake Bay, with the Rhode Island (BB-17) standing by passing a line to take it in tow. The ships take turns at towing the target.

OUTLINED AGAINST A CURTAIN OF DARKNESSA fleet of destroyers and torpedo-boats has now arrived at New York to join the heavy ships of the line. Altogether, about 50 vessels will be assembled when the ceremonies began next Monday. It is promised that the strained international relations will have no effect on the parade.

Photo by International News Service.Image and text provided by Penn State University Libraries; University Park, PA.Photo & text by Evening Public Ledger. (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 13 May 1915, Night Extra, Image 16, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.

South Carolina (BB-26) in the new Dry Dock at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia, 8 July, 1915.

Photo courtesy of Tommy Trammp.

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"Battleship South Carolina (BB-26) at a distance of nine miles, firing on a target seen between the towers of water during the naval games in Chesapeake Bay, just concluded. The observers on a sister ship in the foreground are only a few hundred yards away."

NEW COMMANDANT INDUCTED INTO OFFICE AT NAVY YARDCaptain Robert Lee Russell, formerly commander of the battleship South Carolina (BB-26), arrived at Leauge Island Navy Yard today to assume charge of the affairs of the naval station. Captain Russell succeeds the late Captain John J. Knapp. The picture shows the reception of the new commandant on the Alabama (BB-8).

U.S. Atlantic Fleet at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, circa 1916-1917. Second section from left (of six) of a panoramic photograph taken from the Naval Station radio tower. Among the ships present are: battleships South Carolina (BB-26) and Michigan (BB-27)(toward the left, in no particular order); destroyers Drayton (left center) and Aylwin (center, middle distance); and a battleship that is either Wyoming (BB-32) or Arkansas (BB-33)(right foreground).

Inboard profile of the South Carolina (BB-26) 1918. Her large mast base chart house has been removed and her conning tower enlarged, with a small fire control section ("tower") at its rear end. These ships had the base of their mainmasts covered in canvas through most of their careers. These bases covered the engine room hatches.

Leviathan (ID # 1326) in New York Harbor, 1918, with a tug steaming by on the right and a battleship in the left background.
Photographed by E. Muller, Jr., 198 Broadway, New York City, and printed on postcard stock.
The ship in the photo is either South Carolina (BB-26) or Michigan (BB-27) (this is the after portion of the ship we see). The significant tell-tales are the "step-in" on visible funnel and its distance from the main mast (other dreadnought classes crowded the funnels and mast together) and the location of end of the foredeck. The foredeck for the Delaware class (BB-28 / 29) and Florida class (BB-30 / 31) ended near the fore mast, whereas here we see most of the secondary battery gun-house atop the foredeck (rather than case-mates in the hull) and the foredeck continuing aft to the mainmast before stepping down to the main weather deck. The structure between the funnel and mast is the king-post of the port-side boat crane with a 3" gun platform on top; in this class the starboard side crane was situated outboard of the forward funnel. The size and shape of the fighting top is also consistent with the a South Carolina Class. The barrels of the No. 4 are concealed by the bow of the Leviathan but the turret is visible. The structure sitting above where the No. 3 turret should be as well as that, which extends from it to the Leviathan's bow above the No. 4 Turret would seem to belong to another ship anchored beyond the BB, its funnel being visible above the Leviathan's foredeck (note the black funnel cap). Throughout 1918, both ships were on training duty and convoy escort along the east coast until the Armistice when both were used as transports to bring troops home. To determine which of the 2 BB's this is, it would be helpful to know when each would have made port in NYC at the same time as the Leviathan.
The Leviathan reportedly received her dazzle scheme in March 1918 at Liverpool, while postwar photos (March 1919) show her sporting an overall drab (probably gray) scheme. As the photo does not show her decks teeming with GI's we can assume that the photo shows her entering harbor after taking a load of troops to Europe (i.e. pre-armistice). During this time she made 8 trips to Europe. NHC attributes dazzle photos of the Leviathan in NYC in early July and Mid April.Leviathan was painted out of camouflage by 16 December 1918, when she arrived at N.Y. with 8000 homeward-bound troops on board, and was almost certainly painted overall gray before leaving for France to pick up that batch of Soldiers, which (given her transit speed of about 23 knots) would have been about two weeks earlier (say, late November or very early December). As for what Leviathan was doing at the time the photo was taken, I can't say for sure. It is possible that the Leviathan was returning to New York (actually across the Hudson River at Hoboken, N.J., which was her base) after taking troops to France. However, she might also just be shifting position in N.Y. Harbor.

Photo taken at Pearl Harbor and the Michigan (BB-27) and South Carolina (BB-26) are moored at 1010 dock. The dry dock is the newly constructed dry dock #1 and the shipyard buildings are visible to the extreme right. YD-25 is also visible in the center distance.

The South Carolina (BB-26) lies high and dry at the Portsmouth Navy Yard Dry Dock in this undated photo.

USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri.

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Broadside of Michigan (BB-27) dismantled for sale, PNY, 16 October 1923. The battleship in the background is the South Carolina (BB-26).

US National Archives photo # 19LC-21-G-3634, from NARA, College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.

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Scene at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, December 1923, with guns from scrapped battleships in the foreground. One of these guns is marked "Kansas " presumably an indication that it came from Kansas (BB-21). Ship being dismantled in the background is South Carolina (BB-26).

USNHC # NH 69035.

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South Carolina (BB-26) being used as a test hulk for anti-torpedo bulges on 26 May 1924.

USN photo.

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The Washington Treaty provided both for discarding large numbers of ships and for reconstructing the survivors. The South Carolina (BB-26) was used to test the torpedo protection blisters planned for reconstruction of the existing battleships. She is shown at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, 26 May 1924, before and during the first explosion. The blister is the dark area amidships. Another experimental blister was built on her other side. Note the removal of her turrets and her fire control tops, as a measure of demilitarization in compliance with the new treaty.

A guest studies a painting depicting the history of battleships. The artwork was painted by George Skybeck and presented to the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association during their annual banquet at Honolulu, Hawaii, on 8 December 1991.

USN photo # DN-SC-92-05391, by PHC Carolyn Harris, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.

USS SOUTH CAROLINA BB-26 HistoryView This Vessels DANFS History Entry(Located On The Hazegray & Underway Web Site, This Is The Main Archive For The DANFS Online Project.)Crew Contact And Reunion InformationNot Applicable To This ShipAdditional ResourcesHazegray & Underway Battleship Pages By Andrew Toppan.